


The Kids from Yesterday

by AllegroCrescendo



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, It was supposed to be fluffy, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, POV Alternating, Slow Dancing, i only know pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22047781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllegroCrescendo/pseuds/AllegroCrescendo
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a problem that comes with two cat ears and a bell.__“What are you doing here?!” Marinette exclaims once she has finally gathered herself. She puts her hand over her chest, trying to calm herselfChat Noir tilts his head and blinks in confusion. “I came to see if you’re okay,” he says as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. If Marinette’s heart weren’t racing so hard from the fright of Chat Noir suddenly appearing, she would have thought the head tilt was cute.“Yes, but why?” Marinette asks.Chat’s brows furrow. “Because I care?”
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 17
Kudos: 374





	1. You Only Hear the Music When Your Heart Begins to Break

**Author's Note:**

> Hellohellohello, 
> 
> Allegro here!
> 
> Wowewowza, last fic of the decade huh? Had to be Miraculous Ladybug too, hahaha. 
> 
> So this is a present I promised my friend Ari (@/alazicO2 on twitter) for her birthday. Her birthday was 11 days ago but we're not going to talk about that. 
> 
> For those of you who noticed the title. Yes, that is a [My Chemical Romance song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXiLHIYqb_Y) Yes, I know they're back together. Yes, I went to their reunion show. Yes, it was the best night of my life.
> 
> I chose "The Kids From Yesterday" cause it nails the theme of change and growth I was going for.
> 
> Music was super influential in how this entire story played out. Here's a whole[ playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GhGYar36p6vw776J0k6mi) of songs that helped me write scenes in this fic in no particular order.
> 
> I did end up choosing to split this story into two chapters because it would be easier on my computer when it comes to proof-reading and uploading. I got a dinosaur that needs to be treated gently. But they will be posted back to back!
> 
> Without further ado, I present to you all:  
> The Kids from Yesterday
> 
> Enjoy!

It all happens at once.

One moment, she's lying in bed, listening to music and staring at the cloudy Parisian sky through the skylight of her balcony. The next, an explosion rocks her house. She shoots out of bed and hears her parents' panicked voices calling for her from downstairs. She shouts back at them in reassurance but before she can call on Tikki to transform her into Ladybug, her father bursts through her door in hysterics. 

He’s still dressed in his plaid pajamas as he emerges into her room. “Marinette! Downstairs, right now!” Her father urges her and Marinette is stuck flickering between her skylight and her father.

“Well? What are you waiting for?!” He raises his voice and enters her room completely. 

“Papa, wouldn’t it be safer if I stayed here?” Marinette squeaks as she’s ushered down the stairs of her room to the living room where her mother has already begun to move furniture in front of the window.

“No! Don't you remember the last time your room was destroyed when that child, August, was akumatized! Your room is  _ not _ safe!” Marinette’s father declares and Marinette lets out an exasperated noise.

“I-I’m going to go hide in the bakery freezer! It’s steel! I’ll be safe!” Marinette shouts, grabbing a throw blanket from the couch and racing out of her house. 

Her father tries to stop her but Marinette hears her mother interrupt him and she heaves a sigh of relief. She is grateful for her mother’s level-headedness. She wishes that she inherited some of it as she trips over the throw blanket and flies down the remaining stairs with an undignified  _ gah! _

Marinette breaks her fall with her hand and it twists awkwardly. A sharp pain shoots up her arm and she holds back her cry of pain. After all, her parents would come racing after her if they heard.

“Marinette!” Tikki emerges from her purse, worry in her big blue eyes. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine! We have to stop the Akuma, Tikki!” Marinette brushes off the kwami’s worry with a wave of her good hand. Gritting her teeth, Marinette stands and races out of her house, cradling her wrist to her chest. She has to find a safe place to transform and help Chat out, assuming he’s already on the scene. She ducks into a nearby alleyway and looks both ways twice. She’s about to call out her transformation when she’s interrupted for the second time.

“Marinette?”

Marinette whirls around to find herself face to face with her leather-clad partner. She hesitates before giving him an awkward smile. “Chat! I’m so glad you’re here! There’s an Akuma!” She says, waving her hands but wincing when she moves her injured arm the wrong way.

“You’re injured,” Chat says worriedly, stepping forward and taking her injured wrist delicately into his gloved hand and  Marinette is surprised at how tender his touch is.  She winces but it doesn’t hurt much. It must be the adrenaline that keeps her from feeling too much pain. Chat's tenderness  almost doesn’t match the dark look in his eyes.  “Did the Akuma do this?”

“N-no! I tripped while escaping!” She quickly lies.

“I need to get you to a safe place. Ladybug can hold off the Akuma in the meanwhile,” Chat says and he begins to lift her. 

“No, wait!” Marinette squeaks as she’s lifted into his arms. Instinctively, her arms go around his neck and she holds on tight, wincing at the pain of moving her wrist. “Chat, I can hide, you go fight,” she argues weakly.

“No,” Chat simply says, using his baton to get him to the rooftop before racing off. Marinette holds on tightly as he does. It’s one thing to do this while she’s Ladybug and in control. It’s another to be relying on someone else. But she trusts Chat. If she stops arguing with him, the sooner she can be taken to ‘safety’ and the sooner she can transform into Ladybug.

Chat soars into Francois-Dupont and lands right in front of Ms. Bustier’s class. He kicks the door open, perhaps a little too forcefully, and sits Marinette on Adrien’s seat. “Find something to wrap your wrist with and make sure you hide underneath the desk. I’ll come back when my bugaboo and I kick this akuma’s butt,” he winks at her.

“Don’t call me bugaboo,” Marinette pouts before realizing what she says. “I mean, don’t call Ladybug bugaboo! She doesn’t like that. Or so I’ve heard. Because Alya, my best friend, runs the Lady-Blog. She sits right there,” Marinette whirls around in her seat and points at Alya’s empty seat.

Chat only snorts and ruffles her hair. “Whatever you say, Princess.” With a two-finger salute, he opens a window and leaps out.

Marinette sighs. “Finally.”

“That was a close one!” Tikki says, emerging from Marinette’s purse. The teen smiles at her kwami.

“Sure was. But we have a job to do! Tikki, spots on!” Marinette shouts. In a flash of pink light, she transforms into Ladybug and uses her yo-yo to soar out the same window Chat did.

It doesn’t take long for her to find the akumatized victim. Not when she’s soaring above the Parisian streets on pillars of steel. Her head is covered by a golden barbuta helmet, only exposing her face in a t-shape. She wears a black one-suit with a large, flowing scarf billowing behind her like smoke.

“I am Hagane! Destroyer of edifices! Bring me  André Bourgeois! He and his bratty daughter, Chloé, shall pay for destroying my dreams!” She declares as she raises her arms to the sky. The buildings around her groan as steels bursts out from them. The citizens still inside the buildings who were yet to evacuate scream in terror. In one swift motion, Ladybug saves them all. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see a black blur doing the same and she knows its Chat doing the same.

She lands on the ground and yo-yos them all to safety. “Get out of here!” She commands and the citizens waste no time in listening. Once Ladybug is sure all the civilians are out of the immediate battle zone, she turns to Chat who, in turn, is already grinning at her. But before a single pun can leave his mouth, a pillar of steel soars towards them. Quickly, they both leap out of the way to safety, landing on lampposts on opposite sides of the street.

“Looks like Hagane is trying to  _ steel _ the show, my lady,” Chat snickers and Ladybug can only roll her eyes in annoyance.

“Let’s just defeat this Akuma as quickly as we can. I was enjoying a quiet night to myself,” Ladybug huffs as she whirls her yo-yo. She winces at the slight pain in his wrist as she does. The adrenaline of the fight is numbing the pain for the most part, but it pinches in pain. 

This little fact doesn’t get past Chat. “You alright, Bugaboo?” Chat asks, brows knit with concern. 

“I’m fine. Focus on the Akuma,” Ladybug commands. She can feel Chat Noir’s gaze linger on her for a little longer before he turns back to Hagane, lifting his baton. Part of Ladybug feels guilty for lying to Chat, but she knows that he would do nothing but worry otherwise.

The two quickly ensue in battle with Hagane. The villain is fierce, wielding all the available steel and launching them towards the two heroes. At some point, she nearly crushes Ladybug between two pillars of steel until Chat swoops in and uses his baton to stop the pillars and allow Ladybug to escape. It’s nearly impossible for Ladybug and Chat to deal any real damage to Hagane; she wields her steel strategically and its nearly impossible to get too close to her. However, the two heroes deduce that the Akuma is in the helmet she’s wearing after they witness it light up every time she summons steel.

Ladybug and Chat both manage to corral Hagane towards Notre Dame. They both perch themselves on the rooftop of the church, huffing with exhaustion as they watch Hagane scream in frustration at the lack of steel. The Notre Dame is, after all, made of sturdy wood. 

Hagane’s steel-grey eyes dart over to an all familiar bakery. “Steel!” She shrieks with joy as she thrusts her hand towards the bakery. From the tinted windows, the freezer door of the Dupain-Cheng bakery comes crashing through and soaring towards the two heroes. Luckily, a refrigerator door is easy to dodge as the two heroes leap out of the way and land away from each other. Ladybug lands on the Notre Dame’s spire while Chat lands on the balcony of the Dupain-Cheng’s home.

Suddenly, Marinette's father comes bursting out of Marinette’s skylight with a distraught look on his face. He pleads with Chat Noir but its too far for Ladybug to hear anything. She curses under her breath.

“My Lady! Look out!” Chat shouts to her. She whirls around to see the freezer door soaring through the air and back towards her. She uses her yo-yo to swing out of the way in the nick of time and curses as she lands a couple of buildings away from Chat Noir and out of the akumatized victim’s sight. She can hear her scream in frustration and the sound of metal scraping as she retreats and Ladybug sighs in relief. Hagane is proving to be quite the tough Akuma.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug cries out as she summons the magical weapon. A bowling ball lands in her hands, nearly dragging her down. She winces as her wrist screams in pain. “W-what the heck am I supposed to do with this?” She asks, disgruntled. She looks around for a solution.

“Think after we defeat Hagane, you’ll have any love to spare?” Chat asks her with a smirk. “Get it? Spare?” 

“Chat,” she groans out with annoyance as her eyes dart around, trying to come up with a plan to defeat the Akuma. Spotting the Eiffel Tower in the distance, her eyes light up with realization.

“We better hurry quick. Mr. Dupain is restless about his daughter Marinette. He says that she's hiding in the freezer that just had the door ripped off. Not sure how she got back there, though,” Chat says and Ladybug’s concentration is broken. She had forgotten her lie had been that she would be hiding in the freezer. Crap! 

“Well, then we’d better hope this is a clean game! Here’s the plan, Chat Noir, ready?” She turns to him and in one breath, explains the plan. She’s thankful for a partner who can keep up with her ridiculous plans.

The two race towards the Eiffel Tower when suddenly, the structure begins to bend. Hagane is standing at the top, walking down the side of it as it begins to warp and shape dangerously. “You sure this is the best plan?” Chat asks. “The Eiffel Tower is made entirely of iron which is what steel is made of. Wouldn’t she be able to wield it against us?”   
  


“Haven’t my plans always worked out in the end, kitty?” Ladybug asks in a coo and her partner can only shut up with a small smile.

“I don’t know why I still doubt you, bugaboo,” he admits. 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir!” Hagane announces as the tower begins to elongate and shoot towards them. Hagane rides the metal like a giant, dangerous surfboard. “Give me your Miraculous! I will rule all of Paris and redesign the city as its Supreme architect!” She declares. Ladybug and Chat both dodge the steel and Ladybug wrap her yo-yo around the tower, swings over, and lands shakily on the metal. 

“If I had a dollar for every time I heard that demand, I would have enough money to redesign Paris myself,” Chat comments as he lands behind Ladybug.

“I don’t know why anyone would want to do that, though. Paris is gorgeous enough as it is,” Ladybug says with confidence. 

Hagane shrieks with annoyance as she surges forward. The rest of the fight plays out exactly as Ladybug plans. As the Eiffel Tower bends, Ladybug wraps her Yo-Yo around one of the beams and swings around, landing behind Hagane. The villain turns to face Ladybug but she’s too slow to react. Ladybug bowls the bowling ball towards Hagane, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying towards Chat Noir. 

“Now!” She shouts for Chat. Her partner leaps forth and calls forth his power, touching Hagane’s barbuta helmet. The helmet rusts and breaks apart before turning to dust. Beneath their feet, the Eiffel Tower groans before snapping in half and plummeted towards the Parisienne walkways below. Ladybug captures and purifies the Akuma before using the Miraculous cure mid-air. The magic ladybugs safely drop the Akumatized victim, Chat, and herself on the floor.

“Pound it!” Ladybug and Chat Noir said in unison.

“Where am I?” the young woman asks, touching her head with a groan of pain. The two heroes smile sympathetically before helping out the young victim, handing her over to the proper authorities for care. It had turned out Mayor Bourgeois had tried to stop the construction of a new, modern, library she had designed to build a new chic store for Chloé. She had been so distraught that she became the perfect victim for Hawkmoth. Ladybug and Chat Noir both promise her that they would talk to Mayor Bourgeois for her. 

Soon enough, the tell-tale beep of Ladybug’s earrings rings out. “Looks like I’ve gotta go! Bug out!” Ladybug says as she hooks her yo-yo on a nearby chimney. 

“Me too! I have to go get Marinette from where I hid her!” Chat says and Ladybug nearly trips over herself. Very uncharacteristic of Ladybug. Very characteristic of Marinette.

“N-no!” She stammers. “‘I’ll go get her!” 

“You’re about to transform back, though!” Chat Noir argues and as if on cue, Ladybug’s earrings began to beep again. She curses under her breath and hooks her yo-yo on a nearby building. If she can even get remotely near her school, she can make a run for it. Chat Noir is fast but not any faster than she is.

“I’m entrusting the baker’s daughter to you, then. Bug out!” She gives Chat a two-finger salute and without another look back, she yo-yos away. Ladybug races as quickly as she can along the rooftops before her earrings give their final warning beeps. She leaps off and lands beneath a bridge by the banks of the River Seine, unspotted. 

Within an instant, she de-transforms in a flash of pink light and almost instantly, pain shoots up her wrist. With a gasp, Marinette stumbles and holds her wrist to her chest. Tears spring to her eyes and she does her best to repress gasps of pain. With the adrenaline of the fight gone, her injury is ten-times as painful as it was when Marinette was Ladybug. She isn’t quite sure how she’s going to get out of this one, but it would have to be a good lie. 

“Marinette,” Tikki hovers worriedly in front of her. She gingerly touched Marinette’s wrist and made a face. “The injury seems serious. We need to get you to the hospital.” 

“I don’t suppose you know any kwami magic to heal injured wrists, do you?” Marinette asks Tikki with a forced smile, trying not to clue in the kwami on how much pain she was in. She knew it was useless, given that Tikki was a primordial being, but it was worth a shot. “Why didn’t the Miraculous Cure heal it?”

“The Cure will only fix damages caused by akumatized victims or the Cat Miraculous’ cataclysm. Since you tripped on your own, this isn’t something the Cure can technically fix,” Tikki explains, waving her arms around as she does. Marinette grimaces in pain and could picture her parents' faces, contorted with worry. “Come on, let’s-” the Kwami cut off her sentence and darted into Marinette’s purse.

“There you are!” Chat Noir’s voice comes from behind her.

Marinette whirls around and looks up at the superhero, perched on one of the walls above. He looks out of breath and flustered. His unruly hair looks even messier than usual if that's even possible. Her eyes widen with tears still falling. She's never Chat look so upset in his life. She takes a step back as he leaps down and lands in front of her. Chat Noir takes her shoulders in his hands and inspects her carefully. His shoulders relax with his sigh. 

“Why did you leave the school? I was worried about you, Marinette!” Chat scolds her. Marinette isn’t sure what to do. She was expecting a scolding from her parents, not from half of Paris' Superhero Duo. “You’re injured! You can’t just run around like that!”

Chat wipes away her tears and pulls Marinette into his arms, holding her close but being mindful of the wrist being held to her chest. “Don’t do that again. Please. I don’t like it when people I care about are in danger. Or hurt,” he says sincerely. “We need to get you to a hospital,” 

“You care about me?” Marinette asks through her grit teeth. She rubs her wrists carefully and watches his expression with mild curiosity. As much as she wants to hear his answer, she does also want to get some sort of treatment for her wrist. Chat, as if reading her mind, clears his throat and releases her from the hug, but keeps their close distance. 

“Of course I do. I care about all the citizens of Paris. Ladybug does too. It’s our job as heroes, after all,” Chat Noir says. He extends his arms to her. “Come on now, I have to get you to the hospital. Once there, I’ll call your parent’s bakery so they’ll come to the hospital,” Chat reassures her.

“Won’t you destransform before that?” Marinette asks as she walks into his arm. She wraps her good arm around his shoulders and keeps her injured wrist close to her. She allows herself to be lifted once more and Chat takes off. 

“Don’t worry about me. I took care of myself. Now I need to take care of you,” Chat says. 

Marinette scoffs. “Please. I just know you can get me to the hospital quicker than I could so I’m  _ letting _ you help me,” she says. Chat leaps up onto a roof and lands with a heavy  _ thud _ ! The sudden force moves her wrist in an odd way and Marinette yelps in pain before glaring up at Chat Noir who only smiles innocently at her.

“I promise that wasn’t on purpose,” he says and picks up his pace.

“I thought cats were supposed to be light on their feet,” Marinette groans as she cradles her wrist more protectively. She only receives silence from Chat Noir’s end. Marinette takes the time to truly appreciate her partner. Even if he was an absolute goofball with Ladybug, he cares when it matters. She recalls the dark look in his eyes when he first encountered Marinette after she injured himself. Even if he didn’t show it often, he cares for the citizens of Paris deeply. Even now, as they’re racing across the Parisian rooftops with the hospital in the distance growing closer, she can tell he’s doing his best to be careful with her, taking into account every one of her grimaces. At his core, Chat Noir is a true hero. 

When they get to the hospital, it’s quite the spectacle. After all, it’s not every day that a Superhero swoops into the hospital carrying an injured victim. People flock to see the duo the moment the leather-clad hero was spotted on a nearby roof. A team of emergency room nurses meet them and take Marinette from Chat and place her onto a gurney. She’s reluctant to part with Chat but she knows that it’s the only way she can be taken care of. With a final squeeze of his leather suit, she lets go and the nurses whisk her away.

Marinette is rushed into an emergency room bed and put under morphine. Her head feels like it’s full of cotton but otherwise, the pain in her arm lessens. She stares up at the hospital ceiling, her breathing evening itself out. The vision of the blinding hospital lights feels too harsh on her eyes and Marinette furrows her brows with pain. She hears people working in her room and feels the gentle touch of hands on her wrists. Marinette sighs. Her good hand twitches. Where’s Chat? The doctor is speaking to her now. Tears fill her eyes. X-rays? She feels her lips move but she isn’t sure what she’s saying. She can hear laughter. What’s so funny? Where’s Chat? Her bed moves and it’s getting harder to make sense of everything. Everything feels off. Her arm is fuzzy.

She just wants Chat to come back.

A couple of hours go by and she’s a bit more sentient. She’s given more painkillers afterward and she comes down enough to process her parents stepping into the room she had been moved to. X -rays of her wrist are hanging o n a lit-up box on the wall. She can hear the rhythmic beep of her heart monitor. The air feels still.

Her mother is by her side, stroking her hair and cooing her name softly. She speaks to Marinette lovingly, pulling her hair free from her signature pigtails. A deep sigh comes from Marinette, rattling her chest as she leans into her mother’s embrace. It’s warm and familiar but it’s not the one she craves. Despite that, she finds comfort in the soft Mandarin lullaby her mother sings to her and in her father’s fingers that run through her hair. She lets out another soft sigh. Her parents don’t seem too upset.

“Hi mom,” Marinette finally manages. She turns her head to look at her mother but that only makes her light-headed. Her mother gives her a tight-lipped smile and brushes her bangs back. 

“Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?” Her mother asks.

“Where’s Chat Noir?” Marinette asks groggily.

“Goodness gracious, Marinette! You’ve sprained your wrist and yet all you ask for is that superhero! Even the doctors said you asked for him already!” Tom exclaims in exasperation, leaning into his daughter’s hospital bed. Marinette furrows her brows and looks over at her father with a look. Why is he being so loud?

“Tom…” Sabine says in a gentle, yet warning tone. “He was the one to bring her here. We should be more thankful to him,” the shorter woman reprimands him in a gentle tone. 

Her mother and father stay with her well into the night. They put Marinette’s wrist in a splint and give her more medication than she can keep track of in her inebriated state. She’s thankful her mother is keeping tabs of it all. After another while of monitoring, the doctors okay Marinette to go home. The pain medication is wearing off and she’s grumpy, but more than anything, she wants to see Chat Noir again. She never got to properly thank him for helping her get to the hospital. After all, superheroes deserve thanks every once in a while.

___

Marinette stays home from school the next day. Her wrist keeps her up all night and makes it hard to sleep. By sunrise, she’s barely slept a wink, despite taking the painkillers she was prescribed. The doctors said it would be worse when the morphine wore off, but she didn’t think it’d be this bad. 

The rest of the day, Marinette tries to entertain herself in whatever way she can. Much to her mortification, videos of she and Chat Noir taken by civilians on the ground last night made their rounds on the gossip networks, so she strays from social media out of embarrassment. Alya sends her a few threatening messages demanding she ‘spill the tea’ on her encounter with Chat Noir for her Ladyblog. Marinette hopes that her best friend is kidding, but knowing the eccentric reporter, that’s most likely not the case.

Her mother makes her Uncle’s famous soup for her and tries to baby her, but Marinette reassures her that a sprained wrist, while painful, doesn’t mean she can’t do anything by herself. Her father tries to mention the small fracture but Marinette waves it off and clumsily pours herself a glass of orange juice to prove her point. With hesitance, her mother joins her father in the bakery but asks Marinette to call her should she need anything. Marinette sighs with relief when the duo makes their way back to the bakery. As much as she loves her parents, they were starting to hover. And it was getting to be too much.

Marinette grabs her glass of orange juice and heads upstairs to her room. She exits onto her balcony, being extra mindful of her wrist. Every so often, it throbs with pain, but it otherwise becomes bearable with the medicine she’s taking. 

The young girl sits on her lawn chair and pulls the throw blanket over herself. It’s cold but her room is getting too stuffy for her liking. Tikki is somewhere taking a nap. The poor kwami had stayed up all night with Marinette, looking up various remedies to try and help Marinette’s hurting wrist. It wasn’t until when Marinette’s mother gave her the strongest painkillers the doctors prescribed that the kwami let herself rest. She’s thankful to have a companion as close as Tikki by her side to get her through rough times. 

Marinette relaxes, raising her glass to her lips. She wonders vaguely what her friends at school are doing right now. Alya and Nino must be up to no good, perhaps bugging Adrien or something. And Rose and Juleka must be in the art room again. She knows Chloé is being bratty as usual. Adrien must be doing as perfect as ever. Marinette sighs dreamily. He is perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

“Hi,” Chat Noir says, dropping down beside her lawn chair.

“Gaaah!” Marinette exclaims, arms flailing as she drops her glass of orange juice. With cat-like reflexes, Chat catches it and sets it down. He’s quickly on her knees when he sees her wincing and touching her braced wrist.

“Are you alright? Does it hurt? You moved it so suddenly,” he tells her, hands hovering over her wrist protectively.

“What are you doing here?!” Marinette exclaims once she has finally gathered herself. She puts her good hand over her chest, trying to calm herself. 

Chat Noir tilts his head and blinks in confusion. “I came to see if you’re okay,” he says as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. If Marinette’s heart weren’t racing so hard from the fright of Chat Noir suddenly appearing, she would have thought the head tilt was cute.

“Yes, but why?” Marinette asks.

Chat’s brows furrow. “Because I care?” 

“Shouldn’t you be doing something?” Marinette asks, standing. She drapes her blanket around herself and takes a step back from the superhero. She shouldn’t be having too much interaction at Chat since it runs the risk of accidentally revealing her identity as Ladybug. But it seems like the hero is insistent on not leaving. 

“I had some time and figured I’d come to check on you,” Chat says. “How’s your wrist doing?” Chat asks, pointing at the injury. Marinette is a bit skeptical of him and keeps her guard up but when she notices the soft look in his eyes, she sighs.

“It still hurts, in all honesty. But the doctors gave me really strong painkillers so it’s somewhat manageable, I guess,” she says. 

Chat Noir rocks on his heels, eyes trained on Marinette’s wrist. Maybe her stand-offishness is making him anxious but it’s not something she can control. If Chat were to get closer to her, they run the risk of revealing their secret identities, something Marinette doesn’t particularly wish for. Plus, he's a total flirt. She doesn’t need Chat flirting with her as Ladybug  _ and _ Marinette. It's enough to deal with him with one of her identities. 

Still, there’s something in the way that he’s carrying himself that makes Marinette question a lot of things. So with a small sigh, she wraps her blanket a bit tighter around herself and steps forward. “Thank you for taking me to the hospital, Chat Noir. I appreciate you helping me,” she says, looking away for a brief moment before meeting his eyes again. After the incident with August and her father’s akumatization, meeting Chat Noir as Marinette is a bit awkward for her, but it isn’t anything too serious for her to be holding Chat so far away.

Chat perks at the thanks and takes a step forward. Marinette has to physically stop herself from taking a step back. At the back of her mind, she wonders why her heart is beating so hard. 

“Can I paw-lease make a request, then?” Chat asks as his tail swishes back and forth with excitement. A small smile forms on Marinette’s lips. Cute.

“I can’t guarantee that you’ll have it granted, but sure,” Marinette raises her nose at Chat as a playful smirk spreads across her lips. 

Chat responds well to her playfulness, bowing teasingly to her. He folds one arm in front of himself while keeping the other tucked behind himself. “Princess, would you allow this knight in shining armor to visit you nightly to make sure you’re recovering well? I can bring you cookies or a cake or something!”

Marinette scoffs. “Are you forgetting that my parents run the best bakery in Paris?” she quips back. 

Chat looks up with a dazzling grin. Marinette’s face flushes and suddenly, she feels very weak in the knees. “That wasn’t a no,” Chat remarks. 

Marinette stares at her partner, dumbfounded. The hero has a point, she didn’t say no. And for some reason, she doesn’t want to say no. She isn’t sure if it’s her feeling as if she owes him something or what, but she can’t find it within herself to deny him. Marinette can mask it whatever way she wants, wanting to get to know him better without her mask, wanting a new friend, or whatever other excuses she can think of, but it’s the curiosity that’s getting the better of her. It’s the mystery of the boy beneath the mask who constantly proclaims his love for her alter-ego that keeps her wondering. Ladybug can’t pry too much without breaking her own rule, but Marinette can.

It’s a dangerous game to play and Marinette is diving headfirst into it.

Marinette sighs. The corner of her mouth crooks and she looks up at her partner, eagerly awaiting her answer. “Fine. I accept your request.”

Chat absolutely beams at her. He takes her good hand, clasping it between his own. “Then I’ll see you around nine tonight?” He asks with stars in his eyes. 

Marinette can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. She isn’t sure what she’s gotten herself into but it excites her. With her splinted hand, she carefully reaches up and flicks his bell. “Nine then, kitty. Don’t be late,” she says.

___

Marinette doesn't know if she regrets ever saying yes to Chat Noir. 

Chat Noir comes by at 9 pm that night just as he had said. After taking her painkillers and saying goodnight to her parents— they were bakers who had to be up at the break of dawn to make fresh pastries every morning, after all— Marinette slinks down to the bakery. She grabs some of the day-old pastries her parents had wrapped and makes a dozen cookies. By the time she finishes, it's 8:30. She rushes back up to her room and tosses on a sweater.

True to word, Chat Noir comes at nine on the dot. He brings hot chocolate for the two of them in a thermos and sits on the floor of her balcony. They play card games, talk about Marinette’s injury, life (as vaguely as they both could, of course), and things that didn’t matter at all. It isn’t until Marinette starts to nod off did the two of them even realize how late it had gotten. Chat picks up his cards and packs away his thermos, promising to see Marinette tomorrow. He perches himself on her balcony rails and salutes her with a wink. Marinette rolls her eyes and wiggles her fingers goodbye to her. She doesn't bother to hide the growing smile on her face.

“See you tomorrow night, Chat Noir,” Marinette says.

Chat Noir smiles. 

“See you tomorrow, Princess,” Chat Noir replies in a murmur before leaping away into the Parisian skyline.

It goes on like that for weeks. Every night at nine, Chat is waiting on Marinette’s balcony with a thermos full of hot chocolate, which eventually becomes coffee thanks to their late-night conversations, ready to play Uno or watch a Disney movie on Marinette’s tablet. At some point, Chat becomes Marinette’s mannequin, holding still for the last stitches of a new jacket or holding her ball of yarn as she knits a blanket. And not once does Chat look upset or annoyed. He looks content to even just be there. Even if there’s a late-night Akuma attack, Chat makes sure to return to her to at least say goodnight. It warms Marinette’s heart.

It also opens it to him. 

When the rainy days roll around, Marinette and Chat Noir retreat into her room. When he first enters into her room, he's quick to tease her about the numerous photos of Adrien Agreste up on her wall. Marinette pouts and turns away from him at that and when Chat Noir notices how visibly upset she becomes at the teasing, he asks her about it. Marinette glares half-heartedly at him. 

“People see him just for his modeling or for his dad’s designing. But..he’s kind, Chaton. He could be as bratty as Chloé Bourgeois if he wanted to but,” she hugs herself and looks at her corkboard full of Adrien’s pictures that are hung above her bed. “But he’s not. He’s sweet. He’s someone who always wants to help people. And a lot of people don’t get that. But I’ve seen it firsthand,” Marinette says, her eyes glued on a picture of the blonde model.

When she turns to look back at the superhero, she's confused by the dumbstruck look on his face. Marinette’s face flushes. She didn’t mean to rant to Chat Noir about Adrien like that but it just came out of her. She presses a hand to her face and looks past his shoulder. His silence is killing her.

“You like him?” Chat Noir asks.

“Isn’t it obvious? All my friends say so,” Marinette furrows her brows and looks over at him. His surprise makes her mildly uncomfortable and she isn’t sure if he’s mocking her for having a crush on a literal celebrity. But then again, Chat Noir isn’t that type of person.

Chat Noir’s silence is pain-staking, but only moments later, he reverts to his cheerful persona and they carry on for the rest of the night as normal. Except for the first time that night, Chat hugs Marinette goodnight and departs quickly after pecking her cheek. 

Those aren’t the only vulnerable conversations they have, either.

There are nights where Chat arrives at her balcony, looking upset or disgruntled. Nights where she can feel the grief coming off of him in waves and nights where the tears refuse to stop streaming down his face. Nights where Chat has to bite his tongue and hold back from venting about what is hurting him because he can’t risk revealing his identity and nights where all Marinette can do was hold him, helpless, as she fights back her tears of empathy. But there are also nights where Marinette collapses into his arms as soon as he arrives, sobbing and unable to console herself. Nights where the stress and pressure of leading a double life leave her feeling unworthy, insecure, and listless. Nights where everything feels like it would build up and swallow her. Nights where keeping her head above water is just too difficult and she wants to let herself sink.    
  


Rare nights like those are when Marinette understands what Chat Noir means to her. They’re more than just silly friends who have Mecha Tournaments, despite Marinette’s recovering wrist or friends who share earphones and dance around as softly as they can to Jagged Stone’s music because her parents are asleep downstairs (because even if her parents are heavy sleepers, they can't risk much). Chat Noir has become such a vital part of her support system that Marinette has to have numerous conversations with herself on how to avoid becoming codependent with the masked hero. 

But there are other nights with Chat Noir that are some of Marinette’s favorite. Chat Noir gifts her one of the fluffiest blankets she’s ever wrapped herself in. During the rainy or particularly cold days, they huddle together on Marinette’s bed beneath the blanket. While they originally watched whatever movies they could, they exhaust all of their options on Netflix and are simply content to lay in each other’s arms and listen to whatever music they're in the mood for.

It’s a cold night in Paris. Chat is strewn across Marinette’s chaise as she finishes up her history homework at her desk. He sings softly to himself and Marinette vaguely recognizes it as she hums along. She looks up from her work and a small smile spreads across her lips at the domestic scene with the superhero.

“Edith Piaf?” She asks.

Chat Noir sits up and grins at her. “My princess knows her classics. Of course, given her old-school grandfather, I guess that’s no surprise.”

She gestures with the eraser end of her pencil to a record player sitting atop a table in one of the corners of her rooms. “Grandpa gifted me a record player for my birthday last year. Jacques Brel, Charles Trenet, Edith Piaf, the big names. You can go through and look for anything you’d like to play.”

She turns back to her homework and tries to ignore the rustling of her vinyl records as she tries to remember the major battles in the European Theatre during World War II. The Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of Berlin, the Normandy Invasion….

Familiar notes drift quietly in her room and capture her attention. She turns to look at Chat Noir who is already striding across her room and tugging her to her feet. He’s gentle with her because of her recovering wrist but Marinette is still clumsy. She trips and is glad Chat’s arms are already steadying her. His alluring green eyes only smile down at her. ‘ _ I got you’ _ they tell her.

She wraps her arms around his shoulders and his own slither around her waist.  _ La Vie en Rose  _ serenades them from her record player. Vaguely, Marinette thinks of the time she danced with Adrien at Chloé’s party, but she quickly casts that thought out of her mind. This moment right here, slow dancing with Chat Noir to a timeless classic and pressing her head to his chest so she can hear his heartbeat is sweet. The world around her comes to a halt. Only Chat Noir matters to her at this moment.

“You’re so corny,” Marinette looks up momentarily to tease him. Chat’s tender expression or smile doesn’t waver for a second. 

“Yeah, I am,” he tells her.

_Quand il me prend dans ses bras  
_

_ Il me parle l'a tout bas _

_ Je vois la vie en rose _

_ Il est entré dans mon coeur _

_ Une part de bonheur _

_ Dont je connais la cause _

They slow dance together until the end of the song, moving across her room, flush against each other. Neither of them speak, too afraid that any words will ruin the moment. Chat Noir presses his cheek to the top of her head and her heart flutters. When her father would play this song for her mother when she was a child, Marinette would always stick her tongue out in disgust. But now, she understands. At least, she thinks she does.

Marinette never thought she would ever end up like this. Not with Chat Noir. Adrien had always the one at the forefront of her romantic endeavors. But Chat wiggled his way into her heart. Carefully, inch by inch, he opened her heart to him. It was terrifying, but Marinette doesn’t care. Not right now. Not when they were a messy tangle of limbs, standing in the dim light of Marinette’s bedroom with the gentle fall of rain outside. It's a poetic scene. One Marinette’s helpless romantic heart always imagines herself having with Adrien. But with Chat Noir it feels different. She doesn’t stumble over her words around him and she never feels anxious or afraid. She just feels warm.

Slowly, Marinette lifts her head to look at Chat. The wails of the strings and the bounce of the brass of the next song begin to play but Marinette doesn’t pay it any attention. She’s too caught up in the moment. Marinette feels Chat Noir’s breath on her lips and the hairs on the back of her neck stand. Chat slides his fingers in her raven locks, cupping the back of her head. The other is fast around her waist, bringing her closer and closer to him. Marinette steadies herself with her hands on his chest. They’re both silent still, but Marinette is drowning in Chat Noir’s eyes and despite the screaming of her mind telling her that it’s a wrong idea, Marinette leans in, flutters her eyes shut, and presses her lips to the ones that meet her halfway. She kisses him softly.

This is Marinette’s second kiss with Chat and yet its better than the first. The first time she kissed him was as Ladybug when he had been possessed by Dark Cupid. It had been a kiss to free him from the curse and at that time, Marinette had genuinely not seen Chat as anything but a friend. Now is so much more different. Chat Noir has gone from just her partner in crime-fighting to someone she deeply cares for. Someone she wants to be with all the time. Their night-time Rendez-vous become unfulfilling. Part of her longs to see who is beneath the mask. To see the boy who has completely and unexpectedly captured her heart.

Marinette is the first to pull away. She rests her forehead on his collar bones, hiding the redness of her face from him. She wonders what he’s thinking about. What he's feeling and most importantly, what's next for them. She can’t logically date a Superhero. Not when she's his partner and not when  _ she _ made the rule to keep their identities a secret. But she's the one who had to go and fall in love with him. She's the one who broke her own rule without even telling him.

Guilt weighs in her heart. She tricked him. Ladybug constantly rebukes his romantic approaches time and time again. Ladybug closed her heart off to him and sees him as nothing more than a partner. But Marinette. Marinette is the one who allowed him over. The one who said yes to him visiting her in secret during the nights. Marinette is the one who let him into her home and her heart. Tears fill her eyes. Chat Noir trusts her! As Ladybug and as Marinette! And here she is, deceiving him. It’s sick. 

Sick. Sick. Sick.

God, she’s so sick.

She thinks of Adrien who has been nothing but kind and mindful of her after her injury— offering to carry her book bag so she won’t use her injured wrist as much. Adrien, who offers her help with physics and even offers her rides home. Adrien, who is nothing but kind and helpful to everyone he meets. Adrien who considers Marinette his first friend. Who notices how tired she has been lately and brings her coffee every morning. Adrien, who has no idea that she’s so tired because she’s spending late nights with Chat Noir. Adrien, who she had spent so long chasing after, only to cast him away once she found someone else. Adrien has never been a friend to her, has he? 

No, he has just been someone she uses to feel wanted. Someone whose every small gesture of kindness had been seen as some romantic gesture towards her. That’s all he ever was. A love interest. Because the truth of the matter is that Marinette can’t find any value in herself, so she tried to find it with someone else. But why on Earth would anyone else find interest in her? 

Marinette looks around at all the pictures of Adrien pinned to her walls around her room. She takes a shuddering breath as she steps away from Chat. The hero is confused and grasps at her but she pulls herself from his grasp. She’s an awful person. Deceiving Chat and taking advantage of Adrien’s kindness. 

“Marinette?” comes Chat’s concerned voice.

“You need to go now, Chaton,” Marinette tells him. She hugs herself and looks away. She can’t stand to look at him right now. 

“What? Marinette, please,” he grasps at her again but Marinette moves out of his way. His voice is confused and hurt and Marinette can’t stand the fact that she’s the one who did that to him. “Was that too sudden? Too soon? Marinette,” Chat begs.

“Go, Chat!” Marinette shouts as she finally looks at him. The tears finally roll down her cheeks as she drops her face into her palm, one arm still hugging herself tightly. The look of defeat on his face was too much to bear... “ _ Go, _ ” she commands, much weaker.

Silence fills the air. She decides not to look up. Not until there’s footsteps climbing her ladder and the creak of her skylight opening. She lifts her head in time to see Chat’s tail disappear from her room and her skylight door slam shut.

“Marinette,” Tikki emerges from behind one of her potted plants.

Marinette ignores the kwami and goes straight to bed. She puts the blanket Chat Noir gifted her beneath her bed and tucks herself in silence. She stares at the wall ahead of her. Slowly, her emotions crash over her like a tidal wave. Even if she wants to, she can’t stop thinking of Chat Noir. She remembers how they would lie in bed together and cuddle. How they would probably be playing some game right now or Chat would be watching Marinette sketch out a new design.

Marinette’s face contorts with her sadness. She tries to fight back the tears but she can’t. A month and a half ago, she was lying in bed, being kept awake by awful wrist pain. But now, she’s lying in bed, being kept awake as she cries with an awful ache in her heart.


	2. Or Until My Heart Explodes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Chat Noir deal with the aftermath of their kiss.
> 
> __
> 
> The skylight creaks open, making him jump. Marinette emerges halfway, wrapped in a pink blanket. Her bright blue eyes are now dull, bloodshot, and swollen. Her pigtails are low and messy and her cheeks are blotchy. She’s curled into herself and shaking. She looks like a terrible mess, but the worst of it all is that she’s glaring at Chat.
> 
> “What are you doing here?” Marinette asks, her voice cold and unwelcoming. It’s foreign to Chat. It burns.
> 
> “I-I came to see you. I figured that I can’t visit you at night anymore but I came to check up on you. I told you I would until your wrist completely heals,” he lies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellohellohello,
> 
> Allegro here!
> 
> I promised back to back posting, didn't I?
> 
> I hope I didn't hurt y'all too much with that last chapter. Truth be told, I hurt myself too, hehe.
> 
> This chapter title is indeed [another My Chemical Romance song entitled "Summertime".](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITIPYRcKbKI) I chose this song because it really is the right amount of angsty sweetness I was looking for. Everyone say thank you My Chemical Romance. 
> 
> Without further ado, I present:
> 
> Or Until My Heart Explodes.

Chat doesn’t understand. 

He doesn’t understand why he’s racing across the Parisian rooftops with tears streaming down his face. The air outside is cold, s harp inhales make his throat sting and his tears feel warm against his cheek. 

Inhaling hurts his lungs but the sobbing doesn’t give him another option. Chat Noir just keeps running. Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to process what just happened. 

Kissing Marinette is one of Chat’s favorite things, he decides. And he hates that it is because kissing Marinette makes her cry and hurts him. It’s so bittersweet. He didn’t mean to fall in love with Marinette, not when he was constantly proclaiming his love to Ladybug, but there was just something so magnetic about Marinette that inexplicably drew him to her. While his nightly visits had begun in complete earnest, being able to see a side of Marinette he was unable to as Adrien piqued his curiosity. 

As Adrien, Marinette is unable to stop stammering and tripping over her words. It’s no wonder why, either; Adrien’s father is one of the most prominent fashion designers in the world, and his brand is one Marinette admires the most. It must be intimidating for Marinette to try and talk to Adrien. Sometimes, he wishes that he wasn’t Adrien Agreste, the porcelain perfect Agreste boy. Being Chat Noir gives him that liberty, but it’s only temporary. Once the mask comes off, however, he has to go back to being Adrien Agreste and he has to make sure that he lives up to everyone’s standards, even if it kills him on the inside. 

Marinette never makes him live up to any standard. Not as Chat Noir. She hangs up his lackluster doodles on her corkboard and encourages his singing, even if he sounds like a dying cat. He never has to worry about properly representing a brand or about the eyes and cameras of the media and his fans on him. With Marinette, he’s just another person. He feels like a normal human being for once, even if he’s in a superhero get up. That’s what’s so special about Marinette. She knows how to bring out the best in people. 

So it didn’t make sense to Chat that she would cast him out that coldly, seemingly unprovoked. That isn’t like Marinette at all. She never has ill-intentions for anyone, except maybe Chloé or Lila, but this was different! 

What caused Marinette to suddenly change? Was it their kiss? Did she realize she didn’t love him? Or did she realize trying to love a superhero was ridiculous? The thought of it hurt. Maybe she doesn’t love him. That thought hurts the most. If Chat isn’t what she wants, and Adrien isn’t either, then what now? Those two months spent together are to be thrown away? Nights spent cuddling, watching TV and listening to music, helping each other with homework, designs, or even just spent just holding each other as the other cried in their arms were now pointless? Chat forged a bond with Marinette and like an idiot, he had to go and kiss her and ruin it all.

The superhero stops on a rooftop near his house and pulls out his baton. He dials Ladybug’s contact and hugs himself as his entire body shivers. The ringing of Ladybug’s yo-yo is almost deafening. Of course, she won’t pick up, will she? She’s constantly pushing away his romantic advances. And who wouldn't see a late night call as a romantic advance?

‘ _ Hey, this is Ladybug! I’m not available right now, so leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!’  _ A beep comes after the message. 

“Ladybug...I…” his breath hitches. “I need someone to talk to,” he whimpers before hanging up.

He plops down on the rooftop, brings his knees to his chest, and cries. 

__

The next day, the pain in his chest is unbearable.

Marinette doesn’t go to school the next day. Alya looks troubled the entire day. During lunch, their friend group gathers at the entrance of the door. Adrien jogs up to them but Alya only sends him away. This shocks him but he can only assume they’re going to visit Marinette. Judging by the saddened look on Rose’s face as she turns to look at him as they leave the school, it seems like the most plausible option.

They return to school after lunch. In physics, Lila tries to sit next to Alya but the journalist only sends her away with a sharp attitude. Even Ms. Mendeleiev is surprised by how cold the class deputy had been. 

Adrien tries to flag down Alya as they move to literature, but Nino stops him, letting him know that Alya is in a particularly bad mood after visiting Marinette during their lunch break. It seems that all of them, from the naturally bubbly Rose to the sweet and caring Mylene, had been affected by the visit. During their literature class, Juleka is selected to read a Victor Hugo poem. She stands and recites stanzas from  _ Demain des L’Aube. _

_ I will not look at the gold of the evening which falls, _

_ Nor the faraway sails descending towards Harfleur. _

_ And when I arrive, I will put on your tomb _

_ A green bouquet of holly and flowering heather. _

She sits immediately afterward, staring at her desk with an intense fury. Rose puts a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder and Ms. Bustier begins to analyze the poem with the class. Many students give their input, from Kim thinking it’s about an ocean and pulling out his swim trunks, to Chloé giving her opinion on how it’s all one giant ridiculous poem and how they should analyze writings by more popular, modern, artists, like XY. Ms. Bustier looks exasperated as she looks around the class. Her eyes fall upon Adrien and she claps her hands together.

“Adrien! What do you think the meaning of  _ Demain des L’Aube _ is? _ ”  _ She asks with pleading eyes.

Adrien swallows thickly and looks down at his tablet. He reads the lines over and over again. Silence takes over the classroom as he stares at the words of the poem. Finally, he looks up. “I think this poem is about the loss of love. Hugo starts the poem describing his journey and he says that he can’t be apart from his love for too long,” Adrien feels chills run up his arms and stops. He takes a deep, calming, breath, as he feels the eyes of the classroom on him. 

“He ends the poem by describing all the things he could be looking at, such as the golden evening or the sails of the harbor, things that arguably are more valuable than the dead, but he’s dedicated to getting the flowers to the grave. The flowers represent protection and joy. Things she made him feel,” Adrien runs a hand through his hair and he feels everyone’s concerned gazes now. His voice is shaking. “The poem is about missing someone. About traveling far distances and doing the unthinkable just to see them. About them being inseparable no matter what the obstacle. Even if Hugo wrote it for his daughter, it transcends that. It’s about so many different types of love. Though it doesn’t make sense to write so much about love. Love is...love is painful.” 

The classroom is silent. Adrien looks up to see many of his peers' eyes on him. He quickly gathers his things and stands. “I don’t feel so well. I’m going to go to the nurses’ office.”

“Let Nino walk you,” Ms. Bustier hurriedly says as his best friend stands.

“No,” Adrien shakes his head and makes his way to the door. His heart is pounding violently against his ribcage and everything feels fuzzy in his head. He hates the way his arms shake. “I can make it on my own.” Before Ms. Bustier can say anything else, Adrien ducks out of the classroom, slamming the door behind him.

“Adrien?” Plagg emerges from his school bag. 

“I need to see her,” Adrien decides. He hides in the bathrooms and, ignoring Plagg’s pleading for reason, transforms into Chat Noir, leaping out of the window. He leaps across the rooftops until an all too familiar balcony comes into view. Landing with a soft  _ thud _ , he stands on Marinette’s balcony, hesitating.

What is he doing here? The last time he saw her, she sent him away. What makes him think that one night will make any difference? What if she’s still mad?

No. He has to at least try. Chat Noir has to show her that he at least cares. He has to make the effort to win her over one more time. He can’t just accept that this is the way things will be. Marinette is much more important to him than that. He’s ready to fight for her. He’s ready to convince her not to send him away. Marinette will hear him out. He knows it.

The skylight creaks open, making him jump. Marinette emerges halfway, wrapped in a pink blanket. Her once bright, blue eyes are now dull, bloodshot, and swollen. Her pigtails are low and messy and her cheeks are blotchy. She’s curled into herself and shaking. She looks like a terrible mess, but the worst of it all is that she’s glaring at Chat. 

“What are you doing here?” Marinette asks, her voice cold and unwelcoming. It’s foreign to Chat. It burns.

“I-I came to see you. I figured that I can’t visit you at night anymore but I came to check up on you. I told you I would until your wrist completely heals,” he lies.

Marinette lifts her wrist, now free of its splint. She moves her arm around, displaying it for Chat to see it completely. It’s much frailer and paler than her other hand. It's an irritated pink color with dry patches littering her palm and knuckles. “I had a doctor's appointment this morning. I don’t need my splint anymore. My wrist is all better. You don’t need to come around here anymore,” Marinette tells him flatly. Chat Noir racks his brain for any memory of her mentioning a doctor's appointment but he can’t find one.

Chat stares at her, shocked. She begins to turn away and descend back into her room. He’s panicking now. It can’t end. It can’t end like this. “Wait!” He shouts at her.

Marinette hesitates but does wait. She looks up at him. “What?”

“Marinette, at least tell me what I did wrong. This isn’t fair to me! You can’t just throw me out like this!” He kneels on the floor to be at a more-or-less eye level with her. “Talk to me, please, princess,” he begs. 

Marinette bows her head. She sniffles and shakes her head. “If it makes you feel better, it’s absolutely nothing to do with you. Goodbye, Chaton,” she says sternly and descends back into her room. The skylight slams shut and Chat winces at the noise, staring at the window dumbfounded.

What did...what did she mean by that? 

He stands and staggers towards the window. He wants to ask her so many questions. He wants to sit and talk with her, but not when she's shutting herself out like this. It’s upsetting to him. How many times does he have to lose someone? 

Adrien returns to school, detransforming in a bathroom stall and returning to their class in time to gather his things and moving to history next. For the rest of the day, he keeps to himself, speaking sparingly to answer questions in class and brush off his classmates' concerns. With one of the brightest students in class missing and the other in a bad mood, all of Ms. Bustier’s class is thrown off. Even Chloé doesn’t make any snarky comments, only casting worried glances to Adrien every once in a while. 

During fencing, Adrien’s performance is listless. He loses to novice fencers and experts alike. Mr. D’Argencourt pulls him aside to check on him and Adrien waves off the teacher’s concern. He tries to be more alert during practice for his coach's sake but it’s a miserable failure. He can’t seem to get Marinette’s glaring eyes out of his head. Only the night before, they had been gazing at him so tenderly that Adrien was sure that he was going to melt by the warmth of her gaze alone. 

A foot swings out and swipes his feet from beneath him. With a gasp, he hits the ground. And hard. He can hear Mr. D’Argencourt shout and rush over. Adrien lifts his fencing mask to see Kagami standing over him with a disapproving look.

“Stand up. I’m getting tired of you moping,” she orders.

Reluctantly, he does. Adrien takes a few steps back and readies his rapier. Kagami surges forward and skillfully disarms Adrien. She picks up his rapier and motions for the benches. “Take a break. Your performance right now is pretty pathetic. Please don’t insult yourself any further,” Kagami quips at him. Adrien wants to argue back but he can’t. He’s just too tired for much right now. So he listens to her and heads towards the benches.

Kagami follows him and plops down next to him. She digs through her duffel bag, finds her bottle of water, and takes a long drink from it before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She opens an eye and peeks over at him with a raised brow. “So are you going to start talking any time soon or…?” Kagami asks. 

“What?” Adrien replies, confused.

“Oh, come on, Adrien. Something is bugging you. And something is bugging Marinette. She hasn’t updated her social media status since yesterday afternoon. And Alya’s hasn’t posted anything on her Instagram story about Marinette from today,” she caps her bottle and puts it down in her bag before folding her hands neatly in her lap. “I may not attend the same school as you all, but I’m also  _ not _ stupid, Adrien. So spill,” Kagami huffs.

“I…” Adrien marvels at Kagami. After a long and painfully awkward conversation, Kagami explained how she used to have feelings for Adrien but she had quickly gotten over him in the interest of someone else. However, the two remained very close friends, something Adrien is very grateful for. She is the only person who truly knows how Adrien feels as he tries to live up to his father's ridiculously standards. Adrien sighs. “I can’t exactly tell you all the details...but I messed up. Bad.”

Adrien leans forward and rests his arms on his knees. “I don’t know the first thing about love, Kagami. It’s...frustrating. Mom and Father had one of the happiest marriages I had ever seen. But when she went missing, it’s like she took all of his happiness with him,” Adrien furrows his brows. “Why is it that love does that? Isn’t it supposed to be one of the more fulfilling feelings?”

Kagami watches Adrien for a while with pursed lips. She looks up at the sky and sighs, closing her eyes and letting herself smile. She laughs and it almost irritates Adrien. He’s about to ask what’s so funny when Kagami speaks again.

“Love...love isn’t supposed to always make you feel good, I suppose. Because loving someone comes with...making yourself vulnerable. Take our gear, for example. We wear a chest guard, gloves, helmets, so on and so forth during our matches because we want to protect ourselves, right?” Kagami asks. “We're used to protecting ourselves in almost any circumstance. Love is the exact opposite. You have to make yourself vulnerable to that person so they understand you in the most genuine way possible.”

Kagami turns to look back at Adrien. “I’m not saying you have to let love hurt you all the time. True love doesn’t do that. But there are going to be times where you get hurt. Arguments and misunderstandings hurt, Adrien. They really do. And it’s not just romantic love that takes these tolls. Platonic love does too. But obviously, with romantic love, it’s much different. I get that.” 

Kagami combs her hand through her hair, before tucking it behind her ear. “I’m not much of an expert on love, but making friends is kind of like falling in love, isn’t it? You’re trying something  _ with _ someone new and it’s scary. It feels like you’re falling from the sky. But sometimes, you just have to reach out and grasp that someone and just have faith that they’ll fall with you,” the girl explains. She retrieves her phone and reveals her screensaver; it's the most recent selfie she and Marinette took. “And if it’s meant to be, they’ll fall with you. But you’ll never know unless you try.”

She stands and retrieves her rapier and helmet, tucking it beneath her arm. “There’s only one reason why people live with regrets. They regret not doing things they should have done. Are you going to let this be a regret you take to you live with?” Kagami asks. 

Adrien is speechless until he realizes she’s expecting a response. He perks up and shakes his head. “No. It won’t be,” Adrien decides. 

Kagami nods smiles at him. “Good.” 

She turns to return to the piste before Adrien calls her. “Kagami!”

The girl turns, with a brow raised. “Yes?”

“Thank you...for making me feel better,” Adrien smiles. Kagami only rolls her eyes with a smirk.

“If you want to thank me, get back on the piste and be a worthy opponent,” Kagami says, slipping on her mask.

Adrien can only smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

__

The next couple of days go by. Marinette returns to school after her second absence, albeit, with her splint on. She's much more withdrawn than usual and keeps to herself. Only her close friends talk to her and even then, Alya is the one she turns to the most. Chloé, noticing this change and how it affected Adrien, lays off of Marinette for the most part, only making occasional comments here and there. However, Lila seems to be different. She pulls many of her old stunts, forcing Marinette to switch seats with her or ‘accidentally’ forgetting her textbook and asking to share with Alya. Marinette doesn’t even fight these petty manipulations. She simply silently gets up and does whatever Lila wants.

Adrien tries to talk to her numerous times. If she refuses to talk to Chat Noir, surely she'll at least listen to Adrien, right? That’s what he had thought, at least. Turns out he was wrong. Alya and the other girls refuse to leave Marinette alone. During P.E., during lunch, in between classes or even after school, someone is always by Marinette’s side. He’s almost victorious when he catches Juleka alone with Marinette, knowing the shy girl won’t put up much of a fight. Just as he’s striding up to them, Nathan and Marc intercede him.

“Just give her some space, Agreste,” Nathan says, putting an arm around Adrien’s shoulder and guiding him away. 

“What? Are you all on Marinette protection duty or something?” Adrien asks in a mumble.

“Not officially. But Marinette has done a lot of good for us and everyone else in the class,” says the red-head. “It’s clear she’s only opening up to certain people. Just give it time.”

“She’s strong but even the strong need help sometimes. Marinette hates asking for help. But we know she needs it,” Marc explains, wagging a finger around as they escort Adrien to a nearby bench.

Adrien sits reluctantly and pouts. “I just want to know what’s upsetting her so badly. What would you two recommend?” he asks, looking between the two. 

Marc and Nathaniel share a very long look before looking away, clearly embarrassed. Nathaniel rubs the nape of his neck while Marc clears his throat loudly. Neither of them speak, to which Adrien raises a brow. “Well?” he asks.

“You see, the thing is, if I have a problem like this, I usually go to Marinette for advice. She usually knows what to say,” Nathan admits. “Which isn’t a plausible solution for you is it?”

“Maybe you can ask another trusted friend?” Marc asks. “Maybe even your dad?” 

Adrien thinks about his second most trusted female friend. Kagami had already given him advice, and it didn’t seem like Alya is any eager to talk to him soon. So who would he be able to talk to?

A familiar spotted heroine runs through his head. That’s it! Chat Noir has patrol with Ladybug this Thursday night! Maybe then he’d have to time to talk to Ladybug and sort some things out, both about the relationship between them, he's sure she'll be relieved to learn he's moved on to someone else, and maybe she'll even give him some advice on love. 

He has never been so eager for a Thursday night to come.

__

Marinette feels numb.

Sending Chat Noir away is one of the hardest things she’s ever had to do. She doesn’t even dare to look at him as he leaves. When she retreats into her room, she throws herself back onto her bed and dissolves into another fit of crying. She curls up into a fetal position and hugs herself, burying her face in her blanket and crying as loud as she wants. She knows that it’s worrying her parents, but right now, she can’t bring herself to care. At first, she would cry quieter and try to ignore her parents' worried looks when she goes downstairs for a glass of water, but Chat’s visit has broken her.

As soon as she heard a thud on her roof, she knew he was there. It had been a signal to her every night that the kitten had returned. But hearing it in the midst of her low had been heartbreaking. She had sent him away, but he still returned. God, she felt disgusting. She knew she had to do something to send him away for good. The thought that crossed her mind made her heartache, but she knew she had to do it. So she took off her splint, even if her wrist still ached, wrapped herself in her blanket, and climbed the stairs to her balcony to break Chat’s heart.

Hearing his voice, so vulnerable and so confused, begging for any explanation was awful. She knew that this must have been slowly killing him. And still, if they were to continue as Ladybug as Chat Noir, she had to keep him at an arm’s length. She was the one who made the rule, after all. She intended to not break it, even if it meant harming Chat Noir. In the long run, it’d be one of the only things protecting him. 

She always knew that love hurts. There are countless poems, songs, and prose on the subject of heartbreak and the loss of love. But Marinette never knew love could hurt  _ this _ much. She never knew it could physically make her chest ache, never knew it could reduce her to tears and leave her a shivering, despairing mess. Part of her wishes that she had never allowed Chat Noir in. Never allowed him to come over, never gotten as close to him as she did. But she knew that it was the heartbreak making her think that. Because the nights spent with Chat were some of her happiest. And even if it hurts right now, maybe later down the road it wouldn’t. Maybe she would one day be thankful for his friendship. 

But right now, she’s resentful of it. She wishes she never had it. 

It’s all so painful.

Too painful.

Slowly, she cries herself to sleep.

__

Marinette is slowly awakened by her mother’s gentle shaking. She blinks the grogginess out of her eyes and is met with her mother’s kind eyes. She pushes herself into a sitting position as her mother sets a plate of food down on the floor space next to her bed. “I’ve brought you dinner, dear.”

“Thanks,” she sniffles, Her mother pulls a packet of tissues from her pocket and offers them to Marinette, who takes them gratefully and blows her nose.

“Well?” Her mother asks curiously. “Is it a boy?”

“Is it that obvious?” Marinette asks, sulking. 

“ My Marinette is very strong when it comes to many things. But I know her heart is particularly vulnerable when it comes to boys. Well,  _ one  _ boy,” Sabine chuckles.

If Marinette wasn’t so distraught, she might have complained to her mother about how embarrassing it was that her crush on Adrien is that obvious. Of course, her mother can’t know that Chat Noir has been visiting her every night. Adrien is an easier person to use to seek comfort from her mother. Her heart twists at that and tears begin to fill her eyes. She takes a deep, shuddering breath and her mother opens her arms. Marinette instantly flings herself into them and begins to cry. Her mother’s arms are comforting around her and the scent of the bakery is familiar as she sobs into her mother’s shoulder. Her mother strokes her hair and cooes softly to her, whispering words of comfort to her daughter. 

“I feel like the worst person ever, Mama. I lied to him and I let him believe things that weren’t true and he trusted me and I don’t even have the courage to tell him the truth. Mama, I don’t deserve him,” Marinette weeps. She grasps at her mother’s shirt, balling the fabric into her fists and letting the hurt flow out of her. 

“Oh Marinette,” her mother says, her voice wavering with emotion. “Love really hurts, doesn’t it?” 

Marinette sways with her mother as the older woman pulls her closer and begins to rock her. Once she can, Marinette speaks, “I don’t understand why it does, mama, I don’t. I thought I loved Adrien, I mean, I do, and he’s still an amazing person, but it’s all just so confusing.” 

“A common misconception about love is that it’s all sunshine and rainbows once you are finally with the person you want and that your heart will never look at another with interest ever again. In reality, it’s a bit more complicated than that. After all, you can’t have rainbows without a little bit of rain,” Sabine cups her daughter’s face and wipes away what tears she can. “Love will give what you put into it,” Sabine explains. “If you are scared of it and turn from it, love will only be miserable. But if you care for love and treat it and yourself with respect and nurture it, love will be the gift that keeps on giving.”

Marinette sniffles and curls into her mother. “I told him I didn’t love him once. I told him so many things before that I don’t mean now.”

Sabine is puzzled at that but says nothing otherwise. She sighs and runs her hands through her daughter’s hair. “Marinette, when you were six, you told me you were going to be president of France. When you were seven, you told me you were going to be a veterinarian. And when you were eight, you told me you were going to open a hamster rescue home,” Sabine laughs softly.

  
“Yeah? So what. I was a kid then,” Marinette mumbles, a tad bit bitterly.

“What I’m saying is that things change, my Marinette. People change and so does their mind, and their heart,” Sabine remarks, tapping Marinette’s head and chest respectively. “Just because you felt one way yesterday doesn’t mean that you’ll always feel that way. As we change, grow, and move through the world, so does the way we think and see ourselves,” Sabine says, tugging her daughter’s hair loose from its pigtails. “Change is scary. But the change that leads to growth is good.”

Marinette considers these words carefully. She sniffles and takes a tissue out of the packet her mother handed her, blotting away at her eyes. “Well right now, I feel like the biggest loser,” Marinette grunts, shifting as her mother begins to braid her hair. 

“And let’s suppose you are the biggest loser,” Sabine hums. Marinette turns to look at her mother, clearly offended. Sabine laughs and holds her hands up innocently, “I did say suppose,” she defends herself. Marinette huffs and turns back, letting her mother restart her braid. 

“If you are the biggest loser, who says that losers aren’t worthy of love? Who says losers aren’t afforded an opportunity for change? Who makes these silly rules and who bothers to listen to them?” Sabine asks rhetorically. “How many times have you given someone a second chance and it turns out that they change for the better, or you see them differently than you originally did? Like that Kagami girl, for example. I know you didn’t like her at first. But you gave her a chance, and now you’re going to the cafe with her almost every other weekend,” her mother says. 

“You’re growing older Marinette.  Just like baby sparrows, you’ll have to spread your wings and fly one day. Even if baby sparrows are born knowing how to fly, they can’t fly right away. They have to try time and time again. Fall seven times, get up eight. And one day, when you’re battle-worn and the time is right, gravity will mean nothing, and you’ll soar through the sky,” Sabine finishes her braid and ties it off. 

“What you’re experiencing right now is just another time you have to learn to fly. Your papa and I can teach you a thousand times the meaning of love, but until you grasp it and make it the wind beneath your wings that raises you higher and higher, love will only keep you down like this,” her mother explains. 

Marinette sniffles and hugs her mother tightly. Time passes by as the two sit in silence, Sabine simply holding Marinette as she cries. Marinette doesn’t know how much time passes, but eventually, she lifts her head. 

“I’ll have dinner with you and papa tonight,” she decides. 

Her mother only smiles. “And we’re happy to have you.”

__

Marinette decides she’ll tell both Adrien and Chat Noir the whole truth. 

Her parents allow her to skip school one more day to sort out her emotions. As she does, she reflects on herself and how she has grown. Being Ladybug has helped with her self-confidence, but it has also damaged it. She feels as if that side of her life is the more worthy part of her. Marinette pales in comparison to Ladybug. How is she supposed to confess her love to Chat Noir when the amazing Ladybug is right there?

Still, she’s working up the courage to do so. But to do so, she can’t have any distractions or interactions that may sway her opinions or actions. So, she enlists the help of her friends to keep her as far away from Adrien as possible. While the girls are confused, they agree to help Marinette, citing the numerous times Marinette has gone out of her way to help them. Together, they all work to make sure that Marinette doesn’t come in contact with Adrien as she sorts her emotions. There are a couple of close calls, but for the most part, they completely avoid Adrien. 

It’s fine for the most part until she’s in history and Ms. Bustier reminds them that they have an essay on the Mongol invasions to turn in on Friday. From the other side of the room, Alix moans at how that’s only two days away. The entire class erupts into laughter and Ms. Bustier gently sc olds Alix, telling her that if she worked on it for a while each night for the past two weeks, it would have been done by now. Marinette, however, can’t join in on the laughter. Panic seizes her mind.

Friday is in two days. 

Today is Wednesday.

Tomorrow is Thursday.

She has patrol with Chat tomorrow!

“No!” Marinette shoots up from her seat, shouting at the top of her lungs.

Everyone in the class jumps at the sudden outburst and Marinette’s cheeks burn a deep red color. She slinks down in her seat. “I mean...no way you couldn’t have started it, Alix. If...if you need help, you can come over to my place and we can finish it together,” she says, her words fading to a mumble as she sinks further and further into her seat.

“Sweet! Might take you up on that offer, M,” Alix says, giving Marinette a thumbs up. “History and time isn’t my thing, you know?” 

“That was very nice of you to offer, Marinette, but now class, let’s all refocus on our lessons today please,” Ms. Bustier commands, clapping her hands twice.

Marinette groans and drops her head into her arms. Alya pats her back twice and Marinette wants to shout with frustration. Could today get any more complicated?

After school, Marinette hurries out and rushes over to the Seine. She descends the staircase and jogs along the right bank, hurrying to an all-too-familiar doorway hidden away to the naked eye. She looks around and knocks on the door softly before allowing herself in, closing the door behind herself. Tikki emerges from Marinette’s purse, floating beside her master as she walks into the main room. 

“Are you sure about this, Marinette?” Tikki asks. “Chat already lost Marinette. If Ladybug skips patrol, who knows how he might feel!” the kwami says, waving her arms around.

“Trust me, Tikki. This is for the best,” Marinette reassures the kwami.

Her master is sitting zafu atop his pillow. His eyes are closed as if he were meditating, but the minute Marinette steps into the room, he opens them and greets her with a smile. “Welcome, Marinette. I know why you are here,” he tells her. He lifts his steaming cup of tea and blows the steam off of it before taking a sip. Wayzz floats beside him, drinking his cup of tea from a thimble.

“Master!” Marinette seats herself across from him. “I need the Snake and the Fox miraculous so I don’t have to patrol with Chat Noir today!” Marinette asks.

Fu blinks, looking at her in surprise. He and Wayzz share a look and a silent conversation passes between them. Master Fu hums to himself and takes another drink of his tea. “I was  _ not _ expecting that,” Fu remarks under his breath.

“Master, please! I know we aren’t supposed to take advantage of the Miraculous, but please, Master! I can’t face Chat Noir right now,” Marinette feels ridiculous for asking for such a childish thing, but she needs to be able to think things through entirely before she tries to see either Chat Noir or Adrien again. One more night is all she needs. 

Master Fu smiles and stands. He strides over to the gramophone and inputs the code, retrieving the miracle box and taking it to Marinette. He sets the box between them and opens it, watching as all the other shelves of the Miracle Box click open. Fu takes the Snake and Fox miraculous, placing them in their small black boxes and hands them to Marinette. His eyes glitter with knowing and Marinette feels embarrassed. She’s lucky to have a master who is kind enough to understand her situation and willing to help her. 

“I’ll bring them back Friday after school, Master. I promise,” Marinette stands and bows to him. Her master waves off her words.

“I know you will, Marinette. Just make sure you take care of everything that needs to be taken care of. Chat Noir and you are the heroes of Paris. Your teamwork and cooperation are essential to defeating Hawk Moth,” Fu picks up his tea again, smiling over the rim of his cup at Marinette.

“I’ll see you on Friday then, Master!” Marinette turns and begins to head out. As she’s at the door, her master calls out to her. She turns. 

“Just remember that there is no formal rule saying that Miraculous holders must keep their identities a secret,” Fu says. 

Marinette’s eyes widen with surprise and before she can question it further, Master Fu motions for her to go. From now on, it’s her decisions that will decide the future. Marinette’s heart pounds as she walks out of her master’s home, tucking the two miracle boxes in her purse. Tikki emerges, smiling at her. 

“What did he mean by that, Tikki,” Marinette asks with a squeak.

The kwami giggles, covering her mouth as she does. “Marinette! I thought you’d remember that you were the one who made that rule!” Tikki says. “You were the one who kept saying so, after all!”

Marinette groans and drops her face in her hands. “Are you serious, Tikki? You couldn’t have made my life a little bit easier?” Marinette half-heartedly glares at the kwami. 

Tikki giggles again, hugging Marinette’s cheek. “Think carefully about what you’re going to do now,” she advises.

“Always, Tikki. But first things first, I need to go pay a visit to the Couffaine and Cesaire households. Tikki, spots on!” Marinette shouts.

__

Chat Noir has never been so eager for a Thursday to come. 

School feels like it’s dragging its feet. He can hardly sit through his lectures. He has half the mind to pay attention in physics, and Ms. Bustier calls him out in history after she realizes he isn’t listening. Adrien apologizes and Ms. Bustier laughs, forgiving him and just asking that he pays attention in class. Afterward, he tries to channel all of his anxious energy into fencing practice. He defeats Kagami three matches in a row, and the girl smiles at him.

“Seems like someone has figured things out, hm?” Kagami asks, lifting her mask with a small satisfied grin.

“Yeah,” Adrien says, readying his stance again. 

His Chinese lesson for the day comes and goes and dinner breezes by. Adrien shovels his food into his mouth, much to the displeasure of Nathalie, and thanks her for the meal. He tells her that he’ll spend the rest of the night writing a huge paper due for his history class and asks not to be bugged. Nathalie nods and he races upstairs, closing and locking the door behind himself. 

“Well, well, Romeo. I haven’t seen you this excited in ages,” Plagg says, emerging from Adrien’s nightstand and inhaling an entire piece of Camembert in seconds. 

Adrien grins smugly at him. “I feel it, Plagg. Tonight is finally gonna be the night I finally get over my crush on Ladybug and tell Marinette my true feelings. She’ll have to listen to me. I know she will,” Adrien says confidently. 

“If you ask me, you’re better off living the rest of your life with cheese. They smell better than girls, anyways,” Plagg says, gulping another piece of cheese.

“Yeah, yeah. Get in the ring. Plagg, claws out!” Adrien shouts, transforming into Chat Noir and soaring out of his bedroom window.

Disappointment isn’t usually the feeling he feels when he sees other members of the Parisian Superhero team. Usually, it means that they’ve come as back up to help save the day. Viperion and Rena Rouge are certainly two of their stronger comrades, the power of time and illusion proving to save the day time and time again. However, they aren’t necessarily who he wants to see when Chat had made up his mind on one of the most difficult decisions of his teenage life.

“Rena Rouge? Viperion?” Chat Noir asks, landing on one of the steel beams of the Eiffel Tower. 

“Hey, kitty. Miss us?” Viperion asks in a suave tone with a hand on his hip.

“Well, you two are definitely a surprise. Where’s Ladybug?” Chat asks as he approaches them. The two heroes look in between each other.

“LB said she had to do some undercover stuff tonight. But she said she’d be on her way if there’s an Akuma attack. For tonight though, you’ll be escorted by us two,” Rena Rouge says, twirling her flute and flourishing a hand over herself and Viperion.

Chat Noir smiles. It’s a small smile, but a smile, nonetheless. It seems that the fates just didn’t have it in his cards to talk to Ladybug tonight. But tomorrow, he’ll have to confess to Marinette, no matter what. He looks between the two, twirling his baton before leaning on it like a cane.

“Alright then. Let’s have some fun. Let’s hit the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe and then back here. Last one back has to buy hot chocolate for everyone,” Chat Noir declares.

“Hope you brought your wallet, kitty,” Rena says, racing past him and flicking his bell as she does. She takes a nose dive off the tower and is out of sight.

“Don’t suppose you can use Second Chance on her, can you?” Chat asks Viperion with a raised brow.

Viperion only smirks. “I like my hot chocolate without whipped cream,” the hero winks at him before he too disappears over the edge of the tower. Chat Noir rolls his eyes but can’t help and smile before he follows the laughter over the side of the tower. 

Viperion ends up being the winner, being much faster than Rena and Chat. Rena accuses him of using Second Chance but the Snake Hero only smirks as he blows the steam off his hot chocolate. They all perch themselves on the edge of the Eiffel Tower, legs swinging. He puts his faith in the two heroes and asks them about love. Rena has a more straight-forward approach. 

“Carpe Diem!” She proclaims, raising a fist into the air. “Two of my friends are idiots and are dancing around their feelings for each other! I say you take love and make it your own! If not, you’ll be stuck never knowing your feelings for the other,” she says.

“Love is the scariest feeling,” Viperion says. “To some people, it seems to come naturally. It's a like a song they were born to play. But for others, it takes years of practicing and calloused fingers to be able to finally play their symphony,” he looks out at the landscape of the city. “But Rena is right. You're the only person who can write your symphony. No one else can do it for you,” Viperion says, plucking a soothing melody on his lyre.

Chat smiles at both of them. He finishes drinking his hot chocolate and stands, stretching. “Well. I’ve better hit the hay. Civilian duties tomorrow and whatnot,” he says, waving a hand in the air.

The three heroes part ways. Rena and Viperion both decide to turn in for the night as well. They promise to be on the scene as quickly as possible if a late-night Akuma attack occurs, but it seems that the night is still. Hawkmoth has to sleep himself, doesn’t he? 

Patrol proves to be quite exhausting. When Adrien detransforms in his room, he passes out almost immediately, sleeping until the morning. A sharp knock at his door wakes him up. Nathalie lets him know he only has two minutes till his driver is to take him to school. Adrien asks for more time as he scrambles to get ready, taking the quickest shower he ever has in his life and dressing a quick as he can. He throws whatever he can in his book bag and rushes out, stopping by the kitchen and grabbing a croissant on his way out.

If his driver wasn’t skilled as he was, Adrien wouldn’t have made it on time. Right as the school doors were closing, he slips in, nodding good morning to the custodian and makes his way to his classroom.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaait!” A voice shouts from the outside of the school. Adrien turns to see Marinette crash through the doors, stumbling over herself. She nearly lands on her bad wrist, but Adrien races over and grabs her before she can fall.

“Good morning, Marinette!” Adrien chirps to her with a smile.

Marinette stares up at him, dumbfounded. Her expression changes and she stands, dropping her hand from his grip. “Good morning, Adrien.”

“Get to class, you two,” the janitor says before turning and heading to his office.

The duo stare at each other. The air around them still, as if the whole world is holding its breath with them. He wonders what Marinette is thinking. If there’s anything he’s learned during all their nights together, it’s that Marinette is unpredictable and spontaneous, usually leading with her heart and morals. It’s something he admires about her. He always knew her sense of justice was in the right place from many of her interactions with classmates and friends alike, but overall, her instinct to help others and spread kindness is what he loves the most. 

So it feels odd right now, staring at her as she shrinks away. He wants to do something about it but he’s too nervous, too afraid to do something. What if he messes up? What if she sends him away, this time as Adrien? What then?

_ ‘But sometimes, you just have to reach out and grasp that someone and just have faith that they’ll fall with you.’ _

“I need to talk to you!” They both say in unison.

Adrien is taken aback and judging by the look on Marinette’s face, so is she. They both stare at each other in silence and Marinette tugs at her pigtails nervously. Adrien’s eyes flicker over to the janitor’s office and he reaches out for Marinette’s hand before stopping himself. He’ll have to respect her space if he’s going to have a proper conversation with her.

“The locker rooms?” Adrien asks, jerking his head over to the door on the other side of the school. Marinette looks between him and the locker rooms before nodding. Adrien smiles and motions for her to follow. 

They walk to the locker rooms together in silence. Marinette fiddles with the straps of her backpack nervously and Adrien plays with his ring. He wants to know what he can do to ease Marinette’s anxiety, but right now, he can hardly think straight. His palms are sweaty and his knees won’t stop shaking. His mind is racing a mile a minute with all the different outcomes that can come from this conversation. Marinette will either accept his feelings or reject them. Oh god, it’s getting hard to breath. If she rejects them, will they still stay friends? If they don’t, then he’ll lose Marinette, which means he’ll probably lose Nino and Alya too. His heart leaps into his throat at the thought. Losing Marinette is what scares him the most, but he won’t lie and say the other two don’t scare him either.

“Adrien?” Marinette’s voice pulls him from his thoughts. She’s standing at the door of the locker room and holding it open with worry strewn across her face. “Are you alright?”

Adrien manages a smile. “Just a bit nervous,” he admits to her. 

Marinette smiles sympathetically at him. It’s tinged with sadness but otherwise, it’s comforting and empathetic. “Me too.” She motions for him to step into the locker room and he does, thanking her as she closes the door behind them. Marinette thankfully takes the lead in the situation, heading to her locker and setting her things down. He decides to forgo his locker and sits on the bench in front of her locker instead. She’s partially turned away from him, so Adrien can’t see the look on her face, and he’s practically on the edge of his seat now. The anticipation is driving him up the wall. 

Marinette sits next to him. She’s quiet for the most part and fiddling with her thumbs. Adrien watches her carefully. She looks really troubled. But he won’t press her. He decides to let her speak when she’s ready. Sitting here next to her is more than enough for him. 

Marinette takes a deep breath. “I used to have a crush on you,” She says. 

Well, that’s certainly a slap to the face. 

“Used to?” Adrien asks, leaning toward and trying to see her face. Marinette has one hell of a poker face, though. She puts on a mask and keeps her eyes locked again. Slowly, she nods in acknowledgment. “What happened?”

Silence passes between them again. Marinette tilts her head and her eyes soften. She smiles as if she’s remembering something sweet and brings her hand to her chest. “I fell in love with someone else,” she confesses.

Adrien can feel his heartbreak. It’s agonizing. But he forces himself to keep a smile on his face. “Lucky guy, isn’t he?”

“Mhm,” Marinette nods. “In all honesty, I used to see him as nothing but a friend. But a couple of months ago, something happened between us and...I guess I began to see him differently,” Marinette explains. Adrien wracks his brain. Who could it possibly be? Nino is with Alya, Luka and Marinette already dated and had a mutual break-up, and Nathan is one hundred perfect a thing with Marc. He can’t figure out who she possibly is crushing on. And honestly, he isn’t sure if he wants to.

“He took care of me all through my injury and kept me company. When I’m with him, I feel like I don’t have to be anyone but myself. It’s comforting. It’s..nice,” she admits. Marinette blinks at looks up at Adrien, laughing with flushed cheeks. “I’m rambling, aren’t I? Sorry about that. I know you want to tell me something and here I am, rambling about my crush on a superhero,” she laughs, nervously. 

A superhero?

Oh.

_ Oh. _

“You’re crushing on Chat Noir?” Adrien asks, completely dumbfounded.

Marinette whirls around to look at him, eyes widening in surprise. It seems that she just realized what she said too. She stands up, a hand flying to her mouth. “Adrien!” She squeaks as the crimson color of her cheeks spread to the tips of her ears. She freezes, as if trying to think of a lie, but eventually sighs with slumped shoulders. “You can’t tell  _ anyone!  _ Especially Chat Noir!” She demands.

Adrien can only stare up at Marinette in shock because she has a crush on him she has a crush on him she has a crush on him she has a crush on him she has a crush on him she has a crush on him  _ she has a crush on him she has a crush on him,  _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a crush on  _ him! _

“Me too!” Adrien shouts at her. Marinette stares at him with confusion, taking a step back. 

“You have a crush on Chat Noir?” She asks in disbelief.

“No! I mean that I do! I do too! You! Me!” Adrien can’t even speak straight at this point. His heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his ribcage at any moment. Marinette shakes her head, clearly not understanding. Adrien stands and takes her hands in his. She gapes at him, looking between their hands and his eyes.

“Close your eyes,” he tells her.

“What?” She questions.

“Close your eyes,” he repeats.

She looks a touch unsure but does as he says, fluttering her eyes shut. Plagg floats up from his school bag and looks at him quizzically. Adrien only nods at him. Plagg, realizing Adrien’s intentions, sighs and nods as well. 

“Adrien?” Marinette asks, scrunching her eyes. Adrien smiles at how adorable she is. He knows what he has to do now.

He’ll just have to deal with Ladybug and the consequences later.

“Plagg, claws out,” Adrien says in a soft voice.

Marinette’s breath hitches and she turns her head away as Adrien is enveloped in a flash of green. Her hands squeeze Adrien’s tighter as they become gloved when he transforms. Her hands shake in his. 

“Open your eyes, Marinette,” Chat Noir cooes.

Silence. 

She stands, frozen in front of him with his eyes still shut, holding onto his hands for dear life. Chat lets out a small huff of laughter as he steps closer to her. He lets go of her good hand and grasps her injured one in his tightly. “You lied to me about your hand getting better, you know?” he tsks at her.

“I know,” she manages. Her voice is low and shaking but a smile makes its way across her lips. Slowly, she opens her eyes and Chat is surprised to see that they’re filled with tears.

“Marinette?” He asks, bewildered. She takes a step forward and hugs him tightly. Adrien’s heart soars as he hugs her back. She’s laughing but it’s watery, mixed in with her sobs and whimpers.

“I’m so stupid,” she laughs, wiping away her tears with the side of her index finger. Chat furrows his brows and cups her face, forcing her to look up at him. 

“Now don’t say that. You’ll upset me,” he scolds her. 

“Chat, you don’t understand. I felt  _ awful _ for crushing on you because I was crushing on Adrien and I had convinced myself I was using both of you, but you’re Adrien  _ and _ Chat and goddamn it hearing your voice now, Adrien I,” Marinette throws her head back with laughter. “I’m an idiot!”

“Don’t know how much longer I get to keep being Chat Noir, though,” he admits. Marinette looks at him, raising a brow. “Ladybug has a rule saying that we can’t reveal our identities. She might have to take away my Miraculous,” he explains. “Remember when she gave you the Mouse Miraculous? And you revealed your identity to me? It’s the number one rule of the Miraculous that we can’t reveal our identities to anyone other than the person who grants them to us,” Chat says. 

Marinette grins at him and shakes his head. “That’s just a rule I made up. I thought it would be easier that way. But as things change and people grow, so must the rules and the way we view life.” She cups his jaw. “I’m Ladybug.”

Chat Noir gives her a flat look. “Are you pulling my leg?” Marinette looks offended. “I saw Ladybug give you the Mouse Miraculous, princess,” he deadpans.

Marinette sighs and steps out of his embrace. She opens her purse and Tikki, Ladybug’s kwami, emerges from her purse, floating beside her.

Chat Noir is floored.

“Nice to see you again, Adrien!” Tikki greets him. 

He looks between the kwami and Marinette. It’s his turn to feel dumbstruck, he supposes. “Bugaboo?” He asks hesitantly.

“All these years, we just danced around each other, not knowing the truth, didn’t we?” Marinette crosses her arms over her chest and smiles at him. Chat Noir can’t contain himself and leaps forward, lifting her into his arms and hugging her tightly. Marinette laughs and hugs him back just as tightly. He sets her down and holds her close. He calls off his transformation and together, the two kwamis zip away to Adrien’s locker to give the two their space. 

“We’re very late to class, you know,” Marinette giggles.

“We’re late to a lot of things, Princess,” Adrien laughs. He presses a kiss to her forehead. “One favor to ask?”

“If I can do it reasonably, sure,” Marinette agrees.

“Never send me away again, please,” he says in a low voice. “That’s all I ask of you.”

Marinette’s smile disappears. She gently touches his cheek. “I thought I was doing the right thing by sending you away. I had sent you away because I constantly rejected you as Ladybug, and I was using you as Adrien to feel better about myself. Nothing can ever excuse the harm I did. I won’t ask for your forgiveness, either. But I will apologize,” she takes his hand and presses it over her heart. “I’m sorry for breaking your heart. As long as I live, I promise to work through our problems together,” she vows. 

Adrien smiles at her with understanding. “I know you’re not asking it, but I do forgive you. And the whole thing about you using me, I don’t feel used. I don’t know why you’d have to feel better about yourself, but we can work on those insecurities together. I won’t say I’m without my baggage. But we can work on these things together, right? We have the rest of forever,” he beams.

Marinette looks up at him and Adrien swears she’s holding all the stars in her eyes. Everything is falling in place. Everything is clear to him now. He knows that he’s still Adrien Agreste and she’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Paris still needs to be protected by them but right now, it’s like he’s on a new world. Everything feels new. The sun has finally risen and illuminated it all for him. 

“One little problem, Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien hums.

“Oh? Do tell,” Marinette giggles.

“I haven’t taken you on a date yet,” Adrien raises a brow. “You know, I’m not feeling too well today. I think I have to skip fencing practice today. Maybe go get tea or something at a cafe. But oh no! I might pass out on the way there. Will you come with me to make sure I’m okay?” Adrien asks her dramatically.

Marinette laughs. “I’m no doctor, but you look perfectly fine to me, kitty,” she clicks her tongue at him.

“That’s the thing!” He grasps her shoulders. “It’s a terrible illness called Lovesickness! I can only be cured with a daily dose of kisses!”

“Okay I definitely see the Chat Noir now,” Marinette cackles, pushing away his puckered lips with the palm of her hand.

“Please, Marinette! If I don’t get a kiss I might  _ die _ ,” Adrien complains. 

Marinette wraps her arms around his shoulders and leans him over so he’s at the same height she is. “Well, this medicine is pretty expensive. Think you can pay the price?” 

Adrien grins. “Absolutely.”

Marinette kisses him. It’s soft and hesitant and that’s fine. Adrien’s arms go around her waist as he kisses her back eagerly. His response seems to boost her confidence and Adrien feels her smile into their kiss. His heart soars. If love makes someone strong, then he’s sure Marinette makes him invincible. Falling isn’t too bad when someone is doing it with you.

The door opens and Marinette and Adrien pull away immediately. Nino stands at the doorway of the locker room, staring at the two in complete shock, eyes wide and mouth agape. Before either of them can react, Nino is slowly backing away. “Ms. B sent me to come look for you two, dudes. We were worried there was some Akuma or something. But I get it dude and dudette. ‘Grats. I’ll keep my mouth shut. But I’ll have to tell Alya or else she’ll kill me. We good, bros?” He asks, giving them a thumbs up.

Adrien and Marinette share a look. Marinette breaks into a fit of giggles. “It’s fine. I think we’re done here anyway,” she says.

“Whatever you say, bro. Adrien, I just remembered, my optometrist said I’m near-sighted just for today so I can’t sit with you. Sorry dude. Looks like I have to sit in Marinette’s seat today. Darn,” he snaps his fingers in mock disappointment. 

Marinette shakes her head with a smile. “Whatever you say, Nino,” she snorts. 

“Go on ahead, we’ll catch up,” Adrien jerks his chin at his best friend. Nino finger-guns at Adrien and Marinette before quickly retreating to their classroom.

“Ready?” Adrien asks. “We’ll probably have to get there right after him. We’ll spill the beans to Alya and then she’ll turn around and hunt us down,” Adrien reasons.

Marinette goes up on his tippy toes and pecks his lips quickly. She sighs. “I’m ready.”

Adrien takes her injured hand, holding it delicately in his own and pressing a kiss to the exposed part of her knuckles. He smiles tenderly at her. Adrien knocks on his locker and both Plagg and Tikki emerge. 

“Are you two done being disgusting and domesticated?” Plagg asks, making exaggerated retching noises. 

“Plagg,” Tikki scolds him. 

“Don’t be upset because you can’t admit your crush on Tikki, Plagg,” Adrien teases him.

“What?!” Plagg sputters. “This- I- No!” He shouts, zooming away into Marinette’s purse. Tikki herself looks flustered but follows after the Cat Kwami.

Marinette shakes her head. “Guess we’ll have to deal with hearing that often, won’t we?” 

Adrien gently squeezes her hand. “Only for about the rest of our lives.”

Marinette smiles at him. A pink color dusts itself across her cheeks as she brings her shoulder to her cheek. She squeezes his hand back the best that she can. 

“For the rest of lives,” Marinette agrees. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos make my day and comments make them even better! 
> 
> Happy belated birthday Ari my Nihongo hoe. Ily.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos make my day and comments mak them even better!
> 
> Happy belated birthday, Ari! Love you!


End file.
